As I'm beginning to watch all of the professional wrestling promotions I used to watch again, it seems only fitting to get back into Full Impact Pro because I've always been a fan of theirs when I watched them before and thought they had a good product. They were presented to me, back then, as a sort of sister promotion to Ring of Honor somehow but I always kind of like them better. And I'm talking about watching them back when CM Punk was ruling over Full Impact Pro. I don't know what it was exactly but I kind of felt like ROH had the established independent stars that you knew about or at least that I became more familiar with over time and then when I would watch Full Impact Pro I would see wrestlers I'd become fans of but I'd think of them as "FIP Guys" because certain ROH wrestlers would go to other promotions and fight as well.
Full Impact Pro now is under different management, as is ROH, and it has come quite a way from the Heartbreak Express days. At the very heart of it I feel as if Full Impact Pro has just come into its own and isn't that sister promotion to ROH or anyone any more and it is seen as just as legitimate as anything else I watch. I do like the fact that it has matured, if you will, in my time away from it as opposed to it going away and not being able to survive without being under the wing of ROH. Essentially you can say that I appreciate Full Impact Pro being around still because it quite possibly faced two cliche choices when everything was shaken up in the world of independent wrestling: Fight or Flight. Full Impact Pro obviously choice fight and I'm happy for them.
"Ascension" opens with Rob Naylor and Heather Lynn in the ring. I only know who they are because their names would be said later on in the show and I looked them up to confirm the spelling. I know Lenny Leonard is on commentary but can't quite make out who the other guy is but that's okay for me. As Naylor and Lynn are making announcements that will effect the show later on, the MSL Universe comes to the ring. I thought "MSL" might stand for something, such as the leader's name, but apparently the leader simply is known as "MSL". Is it just his initials like ACH? Does it stand for something like "Monster Submission Lucha"? Or it is something we don't have an answer for? In any case, he says something about sending Mason Ryan to Japan (Yes, really) and even though that happened he somehow came to an agreement that someone of his choosing from the MSL Universe will receive a title shot at a time of his choice if he keeps his talent booked in Full Impact Pro and doesn't contract them out. So what this is saying is as follows, for those of you paying attention: MSL has got to be the smartest person in all of pro wrestling if not alive today. Imagine you ran a chain restaurant like McDonald's and you owned multiple locations. You go in on your busiest day and when you, the general manager, ask the manager on duty where the crew is he says he sent them to your other location instead. Instead of being punished for these actions you give him a promotion. Wait, what? Why is MSL being granted this open title shot by agreeing to live up to his end of a contract? Signing your name on a contract should be why he has to live up to his end of the contract not granting title shots. Who is running this place exactly, the figure head if you will? I've got some questions I need answered. Also, this cost us all a chance to see Mason Ryan which I know for a fact at least four people are upset about. Anyway, MSL's speech leads to Rich Swann, the current FIP World Heavyweight Champion, coming down to say he'll fight everyone in the MSL Universe. Naturally, this leads to a five on on mugging before referees come down to break it up. Roderick Strong, Swann's opponent for later in the show, comes down and goes to work on him as well. Then the MSL Universe is back in. The save is eventually made by Aaron Epic, Bolt Brady and Rhett Giddins which brings us right into our first match.
Match One: MSL Universe (Josh Hess / Martin Stone / Michael Tarver) vs. Aaron Epic / Bolt Brady / Rhett Giddins
Josh Hess wears a shirt that says "I'm an MSL Guy" and that's kind of cool. I also forgot to mention that MSL looks like Phillip Banks. On the face side of things we have Bolt Brady as my favorite. I haven't seen any of these three guys before but he kind of reminds me of Ricochet for whatever reason. He seems like a high flyer who can also be technically sound. Rhett Giddins is a big dude and at one point it was teased he would go at it with Michael Tarver only to have it broken up so I kind of hope that happens now. Being able to make me want to see a Michael Tarver match is pretty impressive but he wasn't actually took bad in this match. He threw some heavy suplexes. Martin Stone was also impressive looking and I do believe I've seen that name before. Josh Hess got a roll up for the win and this was all of the action and chaos you'd expect from a six man tag with the MSL Universe working together as a unit.
Match Two: Lince Durado vs. Gary Jay
Gary Jay is a member of the Submission Squad and this is my first time hearing anything of him. I remember Lince Durado from CHIKARA, I believe. These two are evenly matched in size and this was a fairly fast paced match. At one point, Lince Durado slapped away a handshake attempt by Gary Jay. When Durado was outside the ring, Jay opened the ring ropes to let him back in. Later on when Durado looked to be returning the favor he instead hit Jay with a swift kick to the head and I'm thinking Durado is playing the rudo here. In some ways, Gary Jay reminds me of Sami Zayn. He's kind of built like him but he also just seems to have that underdog appeal on some level. There were good back and forth moments in this match and Durado hit a Michinoku Driver onto Jay that was only good for two. Looks like someone needs to visit the K-DOJO. Gary Jay manages to win the match with a cheap/quick roll up and that left Lince Durado visibly angry. I wasn't too impressed by that with Gary Jay either, as I would have liked to see a more definitive win where the other man was simply not able to get up before three but what can you do? It's only the second match.
Gary Jay has a post match interview with Rob Naylor.
Match Three: Jody Kristofferson vs. Earl Cooter
Jody Kristofferson looks like a cross between Karl Anderson and Doc Gallows. Earl Cooter is leaner and has long hair as he enters with sunglasses on, somewhere between "The Model" Rick Martel and Kid Rock. During the match, the commentators (or at least one of the two) makes numerous references to Earl Cooter and meth. I've said before, during a CZW review, that I'm not a fan of mixing illegal drugs into professional wrestling because on the CZW show they were talking about cocaine and yet so many wrestlers have died from overdosing while on it, but if you think of this as being "entertainment" on some levels or are willing to give into that aspect of it such as a show like "Breaking Bad" has illegal drugs in it then it just comes into question why the people in charge at Full Impact Pro would hire someone and put them in the ring if they're a known meth addict. That being said, Earl Cooter hits a nice high flying spot but ultimately these two are counted out. I'd say that I'm upset this match didn't have an actual finish but the fact that Earl Cooter is (I hope) portraying the character of a meth head it is better for it to end sooner than later. Because, you know, everyone who is addicted to meth lives in trailer parks and vice versa. I'm moving on now.
Match Four: Los Ben Dejos (Eddie Cruz/ Jay Rios) vs. Aaron Solow / Jason Cade
Both teams seem evenly matched in terms of size and being actual tag teams. Solow and Cade are in black trunks while Los Ben Dejos have matching silver tights with pink boots so they stand out a little bit more. Jay Rios has the longer hair of the two Los Ben Dejos members and that's how you can tell him from his partner if you're watching at home. Los Ben Dejos hit a huge spot where one of them (I believe it was Rios) flew outside of the ring through the legs of the other and it got a "lucha!" chant from the crowd. I'm digging how much lucha libre seems to be mixed in with the wrestlers of Full Impact Pro so far because even though I didn't grow up strictly on lucha libre I still have to say it is currently my favorite style of wrestling, perhaps making AAA my favorite promotion. As Eddie Cruz was yelling about needing real competition, Aaron Solow rolled Jay Rios up with a small package for the upset victory. Apparently Solow and Cade are not as established a team as I thought they were but they proved to be the smarter of the two teams by pulling out that win. Some post match slapping and then Los Ben Dejos leave looking dejected. And Jay Rios was complaining, telling Solow and Cade to remember who just made them famous.
Match Five: Blake Edward Belakus vs. Jonny Vandal (w/ Trina Michaels)
Belakus comes out before the match and says that Vandal has made this person so he wants a no disqualification match. Apparently you can book your own stipulations in Full Impact Pro as that is what we get. Belakus has that long hair and beard combo that reminds me of some cross between Seth Rollins and Chris Hero. Vandal comes out in an S&M mask with a dog collar/chain being lead by Trina Michaels. So where's the dog collar match, Hot Rod? With Vandal down at one point, Belakus slides a chair on top of him and tries to fly over the top rope back into the ring but Vandal just throws the chair straight up and takes him out. Wow. That was a reversal. As Jonny Vandal beats on Belakus with the chair I realize he has an Amish beard for some reason. A baseball slide into the chair into Belakus by Vandal reminds me of Tommy Dreamer's old Tree of Woe move. Someone audibly yells "You suck Vandal!" Chair shot across the back of Vandal as Belakus takes back control. Trina Michaels gets involved and as Belakus tries a top rope move onto her, Vandal pulls her out of harm's way... That is until Belakus goes flying out of the ring with a suicide dive onto both Vandal and Michaels. They crushed that first row of chairs there. That was harsh and I like the intensity of the Belakus guy. After Trina Michaels regroups, she distracts Belakus and Jonny Vandal manages to get that chain he was being dragged out by during his entrance. Vandal chokes Belakus with the chain and in BLK Jeez vs. Sozio fashion we have ourselves a good old fashioned hanging. The ref calls for the bell and it would appear as if Jonny Vandal wins because Belakus is out. Post match there is an in ring interview where Jonny Vandal puts his mask back on and Trina Michaels says stuff about being dirty. Remember when Goldust was paired with Luna Vachon during the Attitude Era? This is much worse than that. Trina Michaels calls herself "The Queen of DP" and I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. Trina Michaels introduces The Savages and this appears to be setting up a stable for her as well as the next match.
Match Six: The Savages (Eddie Graves / Teddy Stigma) (Champions) vs. The Submission Squad (Evan Gelistico / Gary Jay) *FIP Tag Team Title Match*
Gary Jay is subbing for Pierre Abernathy as he had some family business to attend to and that was addressed earlier in the night. That has to come into play during the match though as I somewhat expect Gary Jay to take the loss now. This is The Savages first defense of the titles, as per commentators, and they look like the modern day Briscoes, you know, in that hillbilly way. They have long hair and long beards but just look dirty on top of it. Gary Jay starts the match because that makes sense since he already fought. Someone in the audience that commentators refer to as "Mini-Lince" is brought into the ring by the Submission Squad. Tracy Jordan Says: "Are you a large child or a small adult?" Gelistico uses Mini-Lince as a weapon, picking him up and down onto Eddie Graves. Teddy Stigma wrestles in a bandana with his long hair coming out of it like Matt Cappotelli. This Teddy Stigma barely resembles his Cage Match dot net profile picture. The Savages seem to be working better together as a team in this match than the Submission Squad. Gary Jay just gets worked over by both Savages in this match. Gelistico says he's sorry for breaking up the pin because he can't let them hurt his friend. Wouldn't it have shown more mercy then for Gelistico to just let the three count end the match? Gelistico finally gets the hot tag and works over both Savages. A near fall from Gelistico and he locks a submission hold onto Teddy Stigma. Trina Michaels distracts the ref and it allows Stigma to get a near fall. Gary Jay somehow becomes the legal man again, and as he looks to tag in his partner Gelistico is nowhere to be found. Trina Michaels spits in his eyes and that gives the Savages the chance to score a cheap pin. This was as good of a match as it could have been, with telling the story of Gary Jay fighting twice in the same night, but I actually liked the fourth match on the show better in terms of tag team wrestling. Post match, The Savages want to put the Submission Squad through a table but Lince Durado and Los Ben Dejos come down to make the save. The trio is known as the Full Impact Puerto Ricans. And even though they came down to save the Submission Squad they turned on them and ended up putting Gelistico through the table with a 3D. I was hoping for Los Ben Dejos to get a tag team title shot but it looks like they might be busy with the Submission Squad now, most likey in the six man tag.
Match Seven: Chasyn Rance (Champion) vs. Maxwell Chicago *FIP Florida Heritage Title Match*
Before the match, Heather Lynn said that if Maxwell Chicago loses this match he will never able to wrestle in a tuxedo on a WWNLive event again. So either Maxwell Chicago is going to win this thing or he's on his way to WWE. All kidding aside, Maxwell Chicago came out to the Lounge Against the Machine version of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and he has very much of that Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra type of feel going on only he is a wrestler. I've never actually seen Chasyn Rance wrestle before but the name does sound familiar, unlike Maxwell Chicago who just falls nowhere on my map. So if you haven't read the results elsewhere yet Maxwell Chicago did manage to win this match after a hurrincurrana from the top rope. Chasyn Rance is somewhat of a serious wrestler even though he came out and posed for a picture while roses were thrown in the ring. He was somehow the heel as this match just felt like a non-wrestler vs. wrestler scenario, even though Maxwell Chicago might be an actual wrestler. The top two moves of Maxwell Chicago in this match were a bottom rope elbow drop he was visibly upset didn't win him the match and calling for a drink. He asked the bartender for a Shirley Temple and after taking a swig of it, he put the cup down and slammed Chasyn Rance onto it. When he tried this a second time, Rance got back to his feet and shoved the drink into the face of Chicago before he could finish drinking it. I'm not sure how someone who hit spots that would make a wrestler in a comedy promotion blush just became a champion in Full Impact Pro, but this just seemed awkward and somewhat embarrassing because the commentators were listing off some of the great names that have held the Florida Heritage Title and just the overall significance of it and then this guy who is less than a joke goes on to win it. Look, I understand that Maxwell Chicago is a wrestler and he has had matches before and probably must have even won some to get to this point but the fact is that he's just not presented like a wrestler. It's not that he doesn't look like a wrestler, but he just doesn't act like a wrestler in the ring-- he seems very unsure of himself. As a wrestler, Maxwell Chicago reminds me of every non-wrestler who has ever stepped foot in a ring to fight and that goes all the way from Michael Cole in WWE to Jeremy Borash more recently in TNA. And while I do feel like there has been more than one tuxedo match in WWE (sadly) I can only think that one might have been Howard Finkel vs. Harvey Whippleman and I can only relate the in ring abilities and style of Maxwell Chicago to that. So while he might be a wrestler I just wasn't won over in this match on his wrestling abilities and I was waiting at any moment for Chasyn Rance to get serious and knock him out. The match was good for what it was, I just didn't really like what it was.
Rob Naylor was out next to a "We Want Heather" chant. He was about to make an announcement when Roderick Strong came out. Strong said that Rich Swann wasn't going to be able to defend the title tonight and so he was being declared the new champion. Rob Naylor disagreed and said that Strong would be competing in a match for the now vacated title against Trent Baretta. This was kind of a shock to me, as Rich Swann was beat up by a total of six men in the opening segment but I thought that might just play into the match later on in the show rather than have him stripped of the title. He actually came out for that fight as well so it makes him look a bit foolish there since he's now no longer the champion after his "valiant" efforts. Rich Swann is one of the two guys I've heard the most about since being away from professional wrestling so I was looking forward to seeing him fight Roderick Strong but the Strong-Baretta match in itself looks promising.
Match Eight: Roderick Strong vs. Trent Baretta *FIP World Heavyweight Title Match* (The title is currently vacant)
Trent Baretta is the second former WWE superstar we're seeing on this card, though Mason Ryan was mentioned in name only. As this is the main event I expect big things from Baretta here and this is my first match of his outside of a WWE ring (If you don't count those weird matches he had in TNA that should have given him a contract there but for whatever reason didn't) Roderick Strong might be the greatest wrestler to ever live. Every time I see him wrestle and I write a review I'll say about him that he is one of the only guys who has the presence and years under his belt that he has without having really gone to WWE or TNA, which are arguably the two biggest companies in the United States. (TNA being second is coming into question though, with ROH taking on pay-per-views now) I'm actually also surprised that Roderick Strong is the only person on this entire card that I recognize in the sense that he was on the Full Impact Pro roster my first time around watching all of the various DVDs that I could. It has to say something about Strong, that he is still here and doing what he does best. As such this match was just outstanding. There were a number of near falls that I believed to be the end. I wasn't even the closest bit aware going into this who would win but I will say that I had a possibly slight spoiler in the fact that I was watching this while Evolve was promoting their next show with Roderick Strong being billed as the champion. This show was however on February 20th and some time has passed since then. There was additionally the situation in ROH where Rocky Romero had selected Trent Baretta as his new tag team partner since someone else bailed and then I believe Trent also bailed on the Evolve show and was replaced by Davey Richards... So, basically, my thought was that either man could win because even if Roderick Strong was Full Impact Pro Champion on March 8th he could have very well won it some time between this show and then, leaving this match really open for everyone. Roderick Strong did win though and I was most happy. I really like Roderick Strong and feel like he deserves more credit than he gets some times. Baretta did have a good outing here though and this one will be going on my "Match of the Year" list for sure. It's so hard for me to say that WWE blew a chance here with Trent Baretta because even if Baretta was moved up into a main event level, do you think WWE would ever allow him to take some of these chances let alone have this kind of time to work with? Everyone likes to say WWE is holding their talent down by putting the best wrestlers under the midcard but really the fact that WWE spends so much time talking and recapping and not wrestling is what's holding everyone down there. Baretta having this chance here to paint the ring with Roderick Strong has come to show me that, yes, he wasn't being used to his full potential there but I don't think they ever could have used him to it. Also, big props to Roderick Strong for once again working with a former WWE superstar (He has a feud in Evolve with Drew Galloway, the former Drew McIntyre, so matches with PJ Black aka Justin Gabriel seem only inevitable now)
On a show where I didn't know more than half of the wrestlers I must say this was an entertaining show to watch overall. The Gary Jay matches told the story that they needed to, regardless of my opinions on them, and however I might feel about Maxwell Chicago, looking back at it now, I have to admit that at least the fact that I do FEEL something about it is important. So many characters come and go in professional wrestling without anyone caring about them. WWE is constantly struggling to try and get fans to connect with their wrestlers and I just can't do it no matter how many times I see Fandango. So being able to feel something- really anything here- is good. Much of the undercard was worth watching as it was the undercard (They can't all be main events, right?) but the main event delivered in a way that I feel like even if you watch this event just to see that single match it would be worth your money. And it's kind of nice because regardless of how I might have felt about any other moment on this entire show, it was all washed away after the main event of Roderick Strong versus Trent Baretta because that just made it all worth it right there. And, yes, that is exactly what a main event should do.
No comments:
Post a Comment